Wednesday, February 12, 2014

The NewBo City Market is a year-round indoor and outdoor market located in the New Bohemia District in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Since its opening in 2012, the market has been selling local and homegrown foods, arts, and crafts, as well as putting on events for the community. Due to new interest in organic food and local businesses, the NewBo City Market has been bustling each day since its opening. We talked to Preston Moore, Director of Marketing & Special Events at NewBo, about the market, local food, and the future of city markets.

Tell us a little about your Learning Garden. What's growing there now?

Right now, the only thing growing in the learning garden is the number of inches of snow spilling over the top of the raised beds.

Joking aside, the Learning Garden is a tremendous asset to the market. This past summer, a Master Gardener was on site each Saturday to teach children (and even some grownups) about where food comes from and how to care for grown food. You can see a list and description of the items that were grown in 2013 here: http://newbocitymarket.com/about/learning-garden/.

What do you think is the future for local food markets like NewBo?

I think as we look to the future, places like NewBo City Market are going to be opening up shop everywhere. The desire for fresh, locally produced food (both whole foods and prepared) has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. I only see that desire expanding. I don't exactly know what the future holds for markets like ours, but our entire existence is based on the mission of helping the public gain access to quality and fresh foods. With that said, I think we're in store for a very successful future.

Can you tell us about any similar markets in the Midwest for readers who might not be close to Cedar Rapids?

More and more are opening every day. There's a public market in Milwaukee, WI; Columbus, OH; Lincoln, NE; Detroit, MI... the list really goes on and on. I can't stress how important public markets are to local economies and small businesses, so if any of your readers are anywhere close to one, I strongly encourage them to take an afternoon to check it out! (And if any of them are ever in Cedar Rapids, I'd love for them to swing by NewBo City Market and say hello.)

"I
haven't had to carry water—just melt snow you know—have had my tub full of snow
water by the stove all the time and more than once I've gone to bed at nine-thirty with a good fire and when I got up at five-thirty have had to strike
quite hard with my fist to break the ice on the tub while smaller things freeze
up solid. My house is one of the warmest and best built houses in the country
so you see we are having a spell of weather."

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